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Cruise vacations are often identified with newlyweds and couples wishing to rekindle romance, but cruises are gaining popularity with singles and solo travelers. Whether your goal is to meet a significant other or just to have a good time and socialize with new friends, a singles cruise is an adventurous alternative to the after-hours bar scene.

Singles Travel Agencies

Singles travel agencies organize cruises specifically for unattached adults. These agencies plan onboard activities, such as social mixers or dances, geared to the interests of a particular group of singles. For example, Singles Adventure Tours arranges cruises for single adults of all ages. The company specializes in getaways to exotic ports of call in the Caribbean and Mediterranean with holiday and exploration- themed cruises. A week-long New Years Singles Cruise on Carnival Cruises' Carnival Dream is slated to begin December 31, 2011.The ship will depart from Orlando, Florida, for the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Singles can get acquainted at the New Year's Eve orientation mixer, then partake of the ship's many activities and services, including the spa, the on-deck whirlpool and a dance club.

Crystal Cruises

According to Cruisecritic.com, Crystal Cruises is one of the most popular cruise lines for solo travelers. The eight-deck Crystal Symphony and the 14-deck Crystal Serenity provide single travelers with golf clinics taught by PGA pros, as well as Pilates and yoga classes. The Creative Learning Institute enriches singles with language instruction from Berlitz, wine tastings, art lessons and a distinguished speaker series on select voyages. Assigned dining room seating throughout the trip means travelers get to talk with the same people every night. Crystal also offers a program that allows single travelers to dine with each other. Supplementary charges for solo passengers are 25 percent for a deluxe stateroom with picture window.

Holland America Lines

Holland America provides plenty of onboard activities for solo travelers, from cooking lessons in the Culinary Arts Center to tours of the artwork featured on each ship. The cruise offers a Single Partner's Program, which matches solo travelers with other singles looking for a roommate. A Holland America Fact Sheet, published in January 2007, notes that each cruise ship hosts a Solo Travelers' Party near the beginning of each cruise. The ship staff fosters a social atmosphere that makes it easier for singles to meet. On cruises of more than 30 days, Social Hosts invite single female guests to dinner and dancing.

Norwegian Cruise Lines/Norwegian Epic

The Norwegian Epic, which debuted in 2010, has 128 cabins for solo travelers. These 100-square-foot studio cabins are priced moderately, and passengers using them can frequent the Studio Lounge, a gathering place with large-screen televisions and a bar. Singles Cruises has slated a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise for singles age 40 and over on the Norwegian Epic. The ship departs from Miami and stops at ports in the Eastern Caribbean.